asked the Minister for Defence whether his Department have refused to purchase a special mortar shell necessary for the efficient functioning of certain armoured cars in the Army; if it is a fact that the present mortar shells which are being used are ineffective or are inefficient or misfire on many occasions; the number of armoured cars in the Irish Army; and the number of armoured cars which are at present in Cyprus.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Army Mortar Shells.
118.
My Department has not been requested to purchase a special mortal shell for armoured cars. The present mortar shells are not ineffective or inefficient nor do they misfire on many occasions. It is not in the interests of security to indicate the number of armoured cars held by the army; the number at present in Cyprus is eight.
Could the Minister tell me the number of mortar shells held by the Army?
If the Labour Party want to poke fun at the Army it is a matter for themselves.
The big guns of the Labour Party.
Nobody wants to poke fun at the Army but the Minister might remember—like myself, he served in the Army—that there were almost no mortar shells but only mortars with a couple of dozen shells during the emergency. Has that position improved?
The matter raised by the Deputy bears no relation at all to the question I was asked.
The Minister is dodging it now. I shall put down a question next week.
Is the Minister aware that mortar shells are being used in guns in the armoured cars in the armoured division which are not the proper shells necessary for the efficient functioning of the armoured car gun?
I beg the Deputy's pardon, I did not quite hear what he said, but I think the general import of it was that the type of mortar shells in use in the Army are in some way deficient and unreliable. This is not the case.
The point is that these mortar shells are being used in the armoured cars for a purpose for which they were not intended, namely, armoured car use. As a mortar shell fired from a mortar they are 100 per cent efficient but as a mortar shell fired from an armoured car they are totally inefficient and result in numerous misfirings.
This is not the case. I can assure the Deputy that his information is incorrect and that my advice is probably better than his on this particular subject.